Super Robot Wars OG: BEYOND THE MOON
by Invincible East
Summary: Three weeks after the sinking of XN-L and the destruction of the Cross Gate, Touya leaves the Earth Sphere with the Gau La Furia in hopes of finding refuge with the Zuvorg. Escorted by the mercenary ship Valstork, the remnants of Fury sail into the uncharted waters of deep space. Their journey, however, was rudely interrupted by a few familiar faces...


Touya Shiun became aware of how cramped the cockpit was. His heart pounded louder than he would have liked. The target reticle on the main monitor frantically tried to get a lock on the black unit, zipping between asteroids for cover. He traced the movements of the Raftclans in his mind, imagining the patterns of the pilot's maneuvers, and aimed the Orgone Cannon just a little past the next asteroid.

"There!" He pulled the trigger and fired. A medium sized artillery beam brushed past the rock, crystallizing the affected area. "Did I get him?"

"Not bad," came the voice of Al-Van Ranks from his screen, the pilot of the Raftclans he was conducting the mock battle with. He had evaded his shot right at the last moment. "You were able to predict the Aurun's movements even in this environment. Well done."

Touya exhaled heavily. Beads of sweat had formed on his forehead. Al-Van's praise did little to soothe his nervousness at his first sortie in a Vorlent, the Squire Machine. "Touya-kun, are you all right?" A small portrait of a young girl popped up on the lower left of his monitor. "Remember not to overexert yourself."

"Thanks, Katia, I'm fine. I think I'll get the hang of this machine soon."

* * *

It has been three weeks since the Gau La Furia's departure from the Earth Sphere. Mekibos of the Privy Council had told them they were at the home stretch and should be approaching Zuvorg territory soon. Touya had wondered if another Cross Gate existed out there. Would he be able to bring out the ancient spirit of Furleim again, this time without everyone else around?

To ease his worries—and perhaps, to keep his skills from rusting—Al-Van, now having replaced the former Gu-Landon's position as the headmaster of the Imperial Knights, had suggested a series of mock battles with him, Calvina, and a select few of Fury elites. Up until now, Touya had sortied in the Throne Machine, Granteed Dracodeus. He had no trouble sparring with the elites, and it was usually an even match between him and Calvina. Granteed Dracodeus is a naturally superior machine compared to her Bellzelute Brigandy, but Calvina's piloting skills were beyond his. Today, he was up against Al-Van, who had fought him quite a few times on Earth not so long ago. But the Representative Knight had a different idea.

"How about you spar with me in a Vorlent?" Al-Van had said, while they prepared to sortie inside the Gau La Furia's hanger.

"Vorlent?" Touya had said. He glanced at the few aforementioned machines on standby. They were stoutly built, matching the image of a suit of armor knights wore in history books. Though they mostly sported a shining white paint, there were a few variations of colors among them, one of which had caught his eye.

"Indeed, the Squire Machine Vorlent. Your exceptional skills at piloting the Throne Machine cannot be denied. The Fury prides on their tradition, however, and I'm afraid that even you cannot simply become the head of the Imperial Guards without passing the proper trials. Princess Shana-Mia may have stated her approval at granting you the former rank of your father, but the same cannot be said for those below you."

"In other words," Touya had said, "you want me to prove that I am worthy of the position."

"You are sharp, Tou-Ya. The necessary paperwork and written tests will be done at a later date, and you have already made your oath to the Princess. The only thing left for you to do now is to ride the Vorlent, the machine of aspiring warriors, and use it to defeat me in single combat."

"Is that so…"

"Are you all right with this, Touya?" Katia, who was listening attentively beside Touya, had asked him. "You're unfamiliar with that machine, and on top of that, having to fight against Al-Van…"

"No," Touya faced the Knight, determined. "I'll do it."

Al-Van nodded then, thoughtful. "Very well, Tou-Ya. I, Al-Van Ranks, Representative Knight of the Fury, accept your challenge. Familiarize yourself with the controls, I'll grant you the authority to freely practice outside. On which date will you—"

"Now. I'll master the Vorlent today, and defeat you with my own skills as the head of the Imperial Guard, as per tradition of Fury."

Katia gasped and raised a hand to her lips, but Al-Van studied him with a tense expression, then smiled. "Such words…even I could forget the unwavering foolhardiness that the Shiun bloodline is known for. Then let us spare the words. We shall be adversaries once we meet outside."

Touya had chosen the lone Vorlent in the back, the one that had his attention. It was painted in navy blue, with visible dents and scratches on the plating. The mechanics had told him the machine was once used by the late Emperor himself. While it's old, it's still battle-ready. Touya had decided it was only appropriate to use this particular machine for the ceremonious occasion, the first of so since the destruction of the Fury's home planet.

The battle had begun with him mostly trying to learn the controls. It wasn't so from Granteed's, but as he was so used to the same controls over and over again in each sortie, handling a different set was a daunting experience. It didn't help that Al-Van attacked him as soon as he launched from the catapult. They wrestled for a bit until Al-Van dashed for the nearby asteroid field. His Raftclans had disappeared after his shot at the asteroid, and he had cut off all communications after that message.

* * *

 _Now, where is he?_ Touya warily scanned the area around him, adjusting his mech's balancer and readying the next shot. The Gau La Furia wasn't visible in his current field of view, but he could feel Katia, the Princess, and others watching him. The mercenary ship that they hired for escort, the Valstork, seemed to be watching as well. A long, thin vessel with a needle-like shape, it hung beside the Gau La Furia, standby on TD Flight.

"Hey hey, what are you doing!" A voice pulled Touya from his concentration, and he widened his eyes in surprise. It was a young, male voice, loud and full of gusto. "Don't just sit around! Go after him! It's not your style to hang back and shoot."

"Kazuma! They're having an important battle!" Another voice shouted in the background, strong and unyielding. "I told you to clean the kitchen!"

"Crap! I'm on it!"

"Geez, that kid…" The new voice sighed. "Hey, sorry about that. I'll make sure to discipline him thoroughly, just please don't terminate our contract."

"I, uh…okay."

"Great. Good luck on your fight. Oh, he's below you, by the way." The voice switched off. Touya sat in the cockpit, absentmindedly staring at the distant stars outside his monitor.

 _Below me?_

The frantic alert on his radar snapped him back to reality, and Touya forcibly maneuvered the Vorlent to evade the shots aimed at his extractors. He let go of the Orgone Cannon and materialized the Orgone Blade from the wrist of the Vorlent's hands to dodge the thrust from Al-Van's sword, then used the momentum to slice off its right hand. Only then did he realize the mistake he just made.

 _Where is his Orgone Cloud…?_

The disarmed Raftclans bled off its dark colors, unveiling the crystalline texture underneath. An Orgonite Mirage. Touya turned and saw the true Raftclans wielding a gigantic blade performing a large horizontal slash.

By instinct Touya deployed his Orgone Cloud to maximum output, but Al-Van's hunk of a sword cut through it effortlessly. Urged by his senses, Touya tilted his unit backward, having the tip of Al-Van's blade a hair's breadth away from tearing a gap in his cockpit. He briefly wondered how many passionate Squires were killed in these tests for glory.

His radar reminded him of what his discarded equipment, and so by shifting his balancer Touya reached up and grasped the adrift Orgone Cannon, then quickly fired at Al-Van, who in response shielded himself with his overly large sword. A brilliant flash of light exploded from where the beam met the blade, and Touya forced himself to look away from the blinding view, though he kept his finger on the trigger. Continuous beeps warned him of the cannon's depleting energy, but he didn't care, and soon enough cracks began to form on the flat of Al-Van's blade. It wasn't long before the Orgonite Sword was shattered into countless glittering pieces.

And its wielder was nowhere to be seen, once the view was clear.

 _He's…!_

Whether it was the will of Furleim, or his own battled-hardened intuition as a pilot, Touya managed to predict the space-time jump. Al-Van may have readied his Orgone Clow faster than he reacted, but he didn't realize Touya had been hiding his gun for moments like senior Knight could have easily crushed the Vorlent like a crumpled ball of paper, if his cockpit wasn't exposed to the muzzle of Touya's Orgone Rifle.

The two mechs stood in their respective positions without motion, their thrusters keeping them in place from the coldness of foreign space. The Raftclans Aurun's claws hovered around Touya, while his Vorlent pointed its rifle at the most lethal spot of a piloted machine. Although he was prepared, this was a still predicament he had unwittingly found himself in. If he had been piloting the Granteed Dracodeus instead of this dull Vorlent, then…

 _No, this is what I wanted._

Touya shook his head and tightened his grip on the controls.

 _I can't rely on Granteed's powers forever, and Katia wouldn't always be there for me. This is something I must do myself._ For the sake of his home planet and his proud heritage flowing through his veins, he will _not_ be defeated here.

"Al-Van," he muttered under his breath, "prepare yourse–"

The Raftclans retracted its claws and pushed back the Vorlent. A medium sized neon beam streaked past where Touya was a moment ago. He immediately turned to look at the direction it came from. As if in response, the black-gold unit that had fired the shot revealed itself from its optical camouflage, and several groups of the same unit, albeit in different colors, followed suit. They were accompanied by dozens of the mobile Aerogator weapons used during the invasion of Earth. There was even a cruiser among them, though it was positioned at the rear.

Enemies.

"They're…Balshem?" Touya's screen identified the unknowns. They matched the data of the machines from Ze Balmary Empire. "What are they doing here?"

"Touya, protect the Gau La!" Al-Van showed himself on his monitor. "Reinforcements are on their way, but we will have to hold the line!"

The Balshem opened fire. It seemed they intend to eliminate them, now that they revealed themselves. They were enigmatic as ever. What were they doing all the way here, this close to Zuvorg territory? Last he remembered, Mekibos had told them that the Zuvorg Alliance had yet made contact with the powerful Ze Balmary Empire, and they could pose a sizeable threat to the galaxy. Their military presence here, albeit small, may complicate things on the diplomatic spectrum…or was that their goal all along?

In any case, Touya had to defend the Gau La foremost, and so he returned fire, using his Orgone Gun on one hand and readying the Cannon on the other. Al-Van engaged with the Balshem that lead the vanguard, Though he was outnumbered, the man's distinguished services as a Knight weren't just for show. "This great blade, there is no way you can handle it!" The Raftclans Aurun revealed its Orgonite Busker Sword once again and cleaved through enemy formations like a hot knife on butter, explosions trailing behind him as he became a dot of blue light amidst the Balmarian machines. Touya stopped firing and gawked at the display. Al-Van hadn't intended on killing him back when they fought on Earth. If he hadn't chosen to hold back, such as now, guarding the Gau La with his life, there is no telling what might have happened…

"Hey, where are you looking!"

A Balshem was charging at him full speed, brandishing its whirring chakrams. Touya gasped and fumbled for the controls, but soon was proved unnecessary. A blue-white fighter craft crashed into the Balshem, seemingly glowing red. It quickly transformed into a humanoid PT, and, with one of its sharp legs anchored in the enemy, rammed its rifle in its cockpit and fired. The PT returned to its fighter mode and soared away from the explosion, heading towards a group of Aerogator machines past Touya

"Don't go staring off into the distance like that again!" The voice shouted. Touya recognized it as the same voice that had spoken to him during his initiation rite with Al-Van. "You'll get yourself killed!"

"You are…"

"I'm Kazuma, a Trailer of the Ardygun family! Let's go, Mihiro!"

"Um, o-okay!"

"Wuoooooooooooooohhh!"

Touya watched the fighter craft dogfight with the smaller units. _That machine…it must be with the Valstork._ He was glad. When the Steel Dragons learned of their plans to depart to Zuvorg space, Major Kai called up an old acquaintance of his to serve as their escort. Ever since the forming of the Gaia Sabers, mercenary jobs became hard to find, and so Blessfield Ardygun was more than happy to accept the proposal. His family vessel, the Valstork, currently positioned itself by the front of the Gau La Furia, laying out a curtain of beams and torpedoes for those that were foolhardy enough to charge in. Touya wasn't alone here.

"I'm not done here, either!" Inspired by the righteous animus of his comrades, Touya felt his will to fight overdrive. He had but one purpose today, here in this vastness of space, and that is to protect the Gau La Furia and the people slumbering within the Kokuryo Grove.

The navy blue Vorlent went for the nearest enemy, a Balshem that was focused on firing its shoulder cannons at the Valstork. Touya destroyed it with a swift shot from his Orgone Cannon. When he realized it was running low on energy, he tossed the weapon and brought out his blade. A group of Balshem flew past him, gunning straight towards the Valstork.

"I wouldn't let you go there!" Throttling his Vorlent to maximum speed Touya followed suit, Orgone energy seeping through the emission slits on his mech's body like uncontrolled flames. Rifle in one hand, blade in the other, he caught up to the group of Balshem in a blink of an eye, dispatching them in a matter of seconds. After finishing off the last of the group, Touya saw the white line of fire from Al-Van's Raftclans. The blue-white PT from before flew past him from down below, dodging shots from three pursuing Balshem with well-timed barrel-rolls.

"To all units engaging the Balshem," came a gruff voice from Touya's monitor. He recognized it as the one that reprimanded Kazuma from earlier. "The Valstork will fire its Dual Proton Cannon in thirty seconds." The bow of the ship slowly began to split, revealing two muzzles that began the process of warming up and gathering particles. It targeted the direction of the Balshem cruiser, which remained sitting motionless at the rear. "Clear away from its line of fire immediately. I repeat, the Valstork will fire its Dual Proton Cannon."

Touya held off the Balshem that came his way, knocking aside its large chakram and stabbed his blade through its chest. They seemed to have figured out what the Valstork was trying to do, and had most of their forces gathered and approaching them at full speed. Kazuma flew back and transformed, providing the much-needed assistance while Al-Van fought the black-gold commander unit from before. What felt like an eternity later, taking potshots at enemy formations and soaking up damage with what remained of his Orgone Cloud, the Valstork fired its main cannons, a gigantic green ray that vaporized the unfortunate groups of Aerogator units and Balshems in its way, along with a small field of asteroids. Because of the distance between them, the Balmarian cruiser was able to take evasion action in time, sustaining only minor damage at its port.

Touya shielded himself from the bright view and gaped as the Dual Proton Cannon was _absorbed_ into the spot behind the Balmarian ship. A ripple rebounded across the supposedly empty space like a stone skipping on water, making out an invisible object many times the size of the Gau La Furia.

 _This shape…it can't be!_

Once the last particles of the beam were absorbed, the gargantuan object revealed itself from the bottom, section by section. A complex, ring-like structure with jutting edges and at its center, folding ripples of blue energy, like a portal to another world…

Touya could recognize it from anywhere. He did vanquish it, after all.

"A Cross Gate?!" He exclaimed. "But…how? What is one doing here?" It must have been camouflaged by the Balshem, as indicated by its apparent uncloaking. The Valstork's cannons likely have stimulated a response. But not enough, as the pulsating energy from the gate's reaction slowly faded and returned to its original state of calm tides.

A column of bending lasers destroyed the charging Aerogator machines a little further to his front, followed by a hail of gunfire from the direction of the Gau La Furia. The Bellzelute Brigandy flew past Touya, leading the Fury reinforcements consisted of those that remained loyal to Shana-Mia.

"Touya, are you all right?" Calvina asked through his monitor. "Where is Al-Van?"

"Al-Van is fighting that commander unit over there." He sent her the coordinates on his map, then paused and glanced at the ring-like structure ahead of him. "Do you see that?"

"A Cross Gate…I wouldn't have thought to see another one." She evaded a concerted effort by a squad of Balshem to take her down. "Let's talk about that later. We'll have to do something to keep these aliens at bay."

"There is no need for that." Came the voice of the captain of the Valstork. His staunch, brutish face appeared on his screen. Despite his hardened looks, the captain's youthfulness remains present, and his appearance betrayed the image of a cold, stern captain Touya conjured from hearing his voice. "It looks like they are retreating. We must have found out why they were here."

Touya lowered his gun, surveying the scene unfolding before him. The Balshem and the Aerogators, at the sight of reinforcements, fell back to their carrier ship. Some of the Fury moved to pursuit, but Touya halted them. "There is no need to chase," he said. "It might be a bait, anyhow. Let them go."

He watched the Balshem withdraw, frowning. Their intentions were mysterious as ever. Why were they here, hiding the Cross Gate? What purpose would it serve, positioned this close to Zuvorg territory?

 _Could it be that…they were trying to secure it as a warp gate?_

He had to discuss this with the others once they were back at the Gau La Furia. Touya turned his Vorlent, decided that he had seen enough, and was surprised to find the Fury machines staring at him.

"Oh…" Technically he was still a migrant from Earth. Until he had proven his worth and emerged victorious from the trial with Al-Van, he was considered below the lowest Initiate. There was no right for him to give out orders like a field commander.

The Fury, however, turned and made for the Gau La Furia's hangers. They departed without a word, though a few of the Knights lingered, studying him and his exhausted Vorlent in dark blue.

* * *

It was decided that the Gau La Furia will stay in this sector to monitor the newly discovered Cross Gate. Privy Council Envoy Mekibos voiced his agreement on the idea, but it was Shana-Mia who had proposed it.

"Shouldn't we let Touya destroy it?" Calvina said. "Isn't that what we came for?"

"We will, once we receive the reinforcement fleet from Zuvorg," Al-Van responded. "There is no telling if beings like the Vaura will appear if we make contact with the Throne Machine. We were able to destroy the Volda's Gate over Earth only because we had the full power of the Steel Dragon Squad with us then. The Gau La wouldn't stand a chance as it is."

"Well stated, Representative Knight," Shana-Mia said. She gave Touya a knowing glance from across the table. "There is also the concern Tou-Ya had brought up. What if this Volda's Gate served as a gateway for those of the Ze Balmary Empire? We cannot blindly rush into this situation, especially if it concerns diplomatic matters with other systems. The Zuvorg will provide us with their assistance first. Until then, we are to watch—and guard—the Volda's Gate." The others present at the meeting nodded in agreement. Shana-Mia, according to Al-Van, had always taken her responsibility as the princess seriously, but ever since their departure from Earth, she had been working tirelessly with newfound resolve.

"Well, I'll see what I could do," Mekibos said through his projection at the seat of honor. "The promised fleet is one thing, and sending a task force to find the escaped Balmarian ship is another, but my powers here at the Council are limited. Not everyone is willing to accept another group of foreign refugees, and we have our own share of problems at the Alliance."

"We understand." The princess replied.

"They're doubtful of your people," Mekibos continued, "and have openly stated their suspicions, given your past actions over the Earth Sphere. I hate to say this, but I could see where they're coming from. But if you were able to destroy, or at least seal, this new Cross Gate, well…we Zuvorg are a pragmatic bunch. Those who prove themselves useful are welcome to our Alliance."

"Hm. The Zuvorg are not so different from us, it seems." Blessfield, the Valstork's captain, thoughtfully mumbled to himself next to Touya. "I wonder how should I greet them…"

"Well, those are just my thoughts. The fleet will arrive in a week, along with supplies to maintain the Gau La Fuira. Keep an eye on that Cross Gate, but don't do anything stupid. Have me informed on anything that develops."

"The people of Fury are indebted to your hospitality." The princess stood up and did a graceful half-bow. We will pay ourselves back to the Zuvorg, one day."

"Heh, I'll take your words for it. The reception party was pretty expensive to put up." The Inspector put on a confident smile, then faded from his seat.

"Everyone, you've heard the words of the Privy Council." Shana-Mia addressed the room. "We are to remain on high alert until reinforcement arrives. Al-Van, send out regular patrols around the Gau La and have them monitor the Volda's Gate at all times. Reach for me immediately if anything happens."

"Understood, Your Highness." He turned to Calvina. "Calin, do you—"

"I'm with you whatever you do, wherever you go." She stood him and answered him as a matter of fact.

"Then it's settled. Please excuse us, Your Highness Shana-Mia." The two of them walked out of the royal meeting chamber.

Blessfield whistled cheerily. "Ah, to be young. That knightly fellow reminds me of myself, in my younger days."

"What will you do now, Captain Blessfield?" Shana-Mia faced him. "The terms of our contract ends here, as your service to escort the Gau La Furia is finished. But if you wish to stay with us…"

"That's fine, Your Highness. The Valstork will return to Earth and deliver the news of this new Cross Gate to the Feds, if that's all right with you."

"I will trust your judgment, Captain. The people of Earth do have a right to know what is going on. How will you get back, though? This region is quite far from the Solar System."

"We have our ways, Your Highness." Blessfield smiled. "But if you wish to know, we have acquired ourselves a working warp drive from a Zuvorg ship, from the days of the Sealing War. Believe it or not, it's compatible with the Valstork's onboard systems. We'll be back no sooner than the reinforcement fleet arrives."

"You really are resourceful as the one who recommended you spoke of. Please, allow me to invite you and the entire crew of the Valstork to a wonderful Fury-styled dinner before your departure. Tou-Ya and I shall join you as well." Shana-Mia turned to look at him. He blinked, the nodded in response. _Just wait til Tenia hears about this…_

"I can't say no to that, can I?" Blessfield left the chamber after exchanging several more pleasantries. Once she was done with reviewing the day's reports, Shana-Mia called for a brief break. Touya accompanied her as she went out and took a stroll down the bright hallways, lit by expensive-looking chandeliers and decorated by a lineup of paintings on the walls. This hallway always made sure to remind passerbys that the Fury were also great artists, once.

"About your bout with Al-Van," Shana-Mia said. Touya jerked himself back to reality. He had been lost staring at the paintings which depicted epic battles, court dramas, Fury landscapes, and portraits of the leaders from the past. "He mentioned that, although the battle was interrupted, the fact that you defended the Gau La with untiring valor was more than enough for him to pass you. As far as I'm concerned, you were qualified for your father's position the moment you were able to pilot the Throne Machine." She led him down the hall, where a young Initiate stood firm on duty. Upon seeing the Princess he stiffened and made a nervous bow. When he saw Touya, however, he saluted him without hesitance. Touya blinked, then saluted back.

"The older Knights and Squires are still suspicious of you," the princess continued as she walked on, "but to everyone else, you are worthy of the Throne Machine. Did you know that your father once was deeply looked up upon by the Fury?" Shana-Mia took out a small object in gold from her dress and handed to Touya. A crest. "The symbol of the Imperial Guard Head. Your father once wore it with pride. Like the Royal Sword, I'm entrusting this to you. Do as your father once did, and make the Fury proud."

Touya gaped at the golden crest in his hands, then closed his palm. It seemed so long ago, when E-Selda landed the Granteed next to his house. Back then, he was just a hapless kid who knew nothing of the world. But his friends, his comrades, had given him reasons. Reasons to overdrive his limits and pursue his fate.

"I will."

The princess gave him a warm smile, and led him to the tranquil walls of the Kokuryo Grove.


End file.
